OCZ Vector 256GB SSD Full Review - Indilinx zeroes in on the competition

IOMeter v2006.07.27 - IOps

Iometer is an I/O subsystem measurement and characterization tool for single and clustered systems. It was originally developed by the Intel Corporation and announced at the Intel Developers Forum (IDF) on February 17, 1998 - since then it got wide spread within the industry.

Meanwhile Intel has discontinued to work on Iometer and it was given to the Open Source Development Lab (OSDL). In November 2001, a project was registered at SourceForge.net and an initial drop was provided. Since the relaunch in February 2003, the project is driven by an international group of individuals who are continuesly improving, porting and extend the product.

Light desktop usage sees QD figures between 1 and 4. Heavy / power user loads run at 8 and higher. Most SSD's are not capable of effectively handling anything higher than QD=32, which explains the plateaus.

Regarding why we use this test as opposed to single-tasker tests like 4KB random reads or 4KB random writes, well, computers are just not single taskers. Writes take place at the same time as reads. We call this mixed-mode testing, and while a given SSD comes with side-of-box specs that boast what it can do while being a uni-tasker, the tests above tend to paint a very different picture.

This test is one of the most grueling to throw at an SSD, and it's also one of the best chances for a well engineered controller to shine. I love it when a new controller technology comes along and creams everything else in the pack, and this time the Vector has done just that. The Vector turns in the best figures in everything save the Web Server test, where it rides along to nearly match the Samsung 840 Pro. Sustaining 55,000 IOPS is not easy to do with our Workstation test, but the OCZ Vector pulls it off nicely.